#BTEditorial – Hurricane season will find us prepared or vulnerable. The choice is ours.

We are hours away from the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

And after last year, Barbadians should already be prepared, not getting ready.

Last June 15, a freak extreme weather event pounded the island with severe lightning, thunderstorms and heavy rains leaving a trail of damage in its wake.

Weeks later, Tropical Storm Elsa landed here as a Category 1 hurricane, hitting the island with 74 miles-per-hour winds that blew roofs off homes,  uprooted trees and sparked widespread flooding.

We’ll have to pray that 2022 spares us another freak storm or Hurricane Elsa, but so far the forecasts have been clear: we must prepare for any eventuality.

According to the respected researchers at Colorado State University, it will be an above average hurricane season for the seventh consecutive year.

The CSU forecast calls for 19 named storms, nine of which could become hurricanes with winds of at  least 74 miles per hour. Of these, four could be major, Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 miles per hour.

That’s well above the 30-year average, say the experts. They explain that on the long-term average, a hurricane season normally brings 14 named storms, seven hurricanes where three of them become of major intensity.

This higher than usual activity is being driven by an extended La Niña phenomenon.

Deputy Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services Brian Murray has cautioned Barbadians to be alert this season.

He said: “From our predictions it is going to be active like last year so you cannot put your guards down because thunderstorms and hurricanes can happen at short notice.

“Active means that you can expect more thunderstorms, more frequent rain events like tropical waves, you will probably get a few more disturbances and wind events and that is what being active is all about.”

Adrian Trotman, Chief of Applied Meteorology and Climatology at the Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) has urged: “Governments, sectors, communities and other interests should prepare for the implications of expected conditions during the 2022 wet/hurricane season such as floods and cascading hazards, frequency of tropical cyclones higher than average, a decrease in the frequency of dry spells, and extreme heat peaking between August and October (though not as strong as in recent years.)”

The good news, however, is that BMS has upgraded its weather radar to give improved forecasts of how storms are forming and to also detect upcoming severe wind events similar to the freak storm.

In light of the predictions, the authorities have already introduced disaster mitigation measures. Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams and Director of the Derpartment of Emergency Management Kerrie Hinds and personnel from the MET office are scheduled to update the nation on these plans on Wednesday.

We expect that by now, drains should be cleared of debris and we have witnessed work crews across the island. Shelters should have been assessed and equipped with all necessary equipment.

But most of all it’s imperative that all Barbadians take their personal responsibility for safety and security seriously.

Now is the time to determine risk, whether you are prone to flooding, your roof can withstand high winds, which windows need to be barricaded, or if you need sand bags to keep floodwaters out.

The focus should be on safeguarding the home. Trees should be trimmed so they are not a problem later. Loose outdoor items should be stowed. There should be a plan for where the vehicles/bicycles will go too.

We urge you to gather your disaster supplies: food and water, medicine, power supply and recharging equipment for devices, gas and cash on hand since power and debit card use could be unavailable.

Check your insurance cover. Safeguard your policy documents should evacuation be necessary.

Help your neighbour, especially the elderly, the disabled, and those most vulnerable around you. Make sure they have a preparedness checklist, too. Exchange contact information in the event a storm does come.

Develop an evacuation plan. Know the route, which roads could be covered by flood waters .Be attentive to media reports on evacuation orders. And don’t forget to plan for the pets.

We don’t know how the hurricane season will affect us but as climate change leads to more intense storms and hurricanes we have had the fresh experience of a hurricane’s first direct hit in 66 years. There are houses still to be fully restored after last year’s cyclone while this season begins. Pray we need not learn the lesson of preparedness again the hard way.